Is this really a Game?!

Chapter 1177 Abominations

The rider's eyes widened as the sword pierced his throat, Reign not showing any mercy, unwilling to allow the rider even a moment to gather himself and perhaps regain a portion of his energy.

The white lightning crackled through the rider's body, the electricity surging through it with relentless, obliterating power that aimed to completely destroy the rider's body and soul. With a trembling hand, the rider reached up to try and grasp the blade, but the lightning would not allow it, striking the hand immediately and causing incredible damage right away, breaking the bones, opening up the skin, and decimating it immediately.

His gaze met Reign's, and in that moment, the arrogance and fury that was present in his eyes dissipating. In its stead, immense fear took over, and the rider's eyes trembled as he stared at Reign, the shock at what happened to it still present as it couldn't believe it was beaten by three beings who were weaker than it.

And yet, at this moment, when staring at Reign, he could feel it. He could feel immense danger and power hidden deep inside him. That was when the rider felt the fear, but also a bit of shame, after all, with all of his powers, he had been unable to force Reign to use that power, nor was he able to force either of the two who were with him.

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And then, with those thoughts and feelings present in his head, the rider collapsed, his form suddenly dissipating into shadows that soon vanished completely, leaving nothing behind. The hybrids, upon the death of the rider, suddenly all let out screams of pain and anguish. Reign and the others all stared at them, their minds reeling as the forms of the hybrids started changing.

Previously, they all looked like people that had gained characteristics of wolves, some fur, fangs, claws, and their muscles had slightly bulged, but now, they were turning more wolf-like. The fur was growing thicker and longer, their faces were twisting, turning monstrous, and their auras were growing wilder compared to before.

"What in the world is going on?" Reign asked as Wolf stared in shock at him and the others, also in shock at what they were currently looking at.

"Could it be that without the rider, who was previously the reason the wolves and hunters could fuse, they are now losing control over the fusion, no longer able to stay in it? Beast asked, his face betraying the panic he felt.

After all, he could do the same thing the hunters had done, did that mean that in the future, if he ever fused with a beast that had not gained a high affinity with him, the two could enter a fierce battle to determine who would be the dominant side in the fusion, and if neither could win, but would also not let up, this could happen to him as well?

The thought chilled him to the core, but he pushed his fears aside for now as the immediate threat the unstable hybrids posed was right in front of them. The hybrids, who seemed to be in great agony, were morphing uncontrollably, their howls growing more animalistic, their eyes clouding with wild desperation, and their bodies turning more and more abominable as the transformation overtook them.

Their original fusion was failing, their original forms tearing apart and twisting into new, monstrous forms as the darkness that had empowered them was now consuming them entirely.

"We need to quickly end this." Reign said with clear urgency as the others nodded their heads, agreeing with him. The hybrids were actually now more dangerous than they were thanks to their more 'primal' urges taking over.

Aelrinder nodded, his starlight aura flaring around him. "Agreed. These are no longer warriors—they're pure, unrestrained chaos. We can't afford to let them run loose."

A couple of the hybrids lurched forward, their bodies spasming as they gave a guttural scream, charging with unhinged ferocity. The twisted creatures moved with unpredictable speed, lunging at Reign and his two teammates. The first arrived, and then a second hybrid joined in, and soon, the rest followed, their monstrous forms moving erratically yet swiftly, a wave of pure rage and madness.

Only a couple went toward Reign, Wolf, and Tank, as they were further away, with most charging at Beast and the others.

"Everyone, stay together and focus on one at a time!" Tank yelled, moving forward and bracing his shield. He absorbed the first hybrid's charge, pushing back with all his might. The creature's strength was overwhelming, even more so thanks to the fact Tank was incredibly tired after fighting the rider with Reign and Wolf. Tank's arms shook with the effort, but he held firm, giving Wolf the opening he needed.

Wolf drew an arc of flames through the air before his blade struck the neck of the hybrid, cleanly cutting it off, but even then, the monstrous body continued moving, slashing at him with its claws, inflicting several wounds that were luckily not deep as Wolf had moved out of the way. Only after a couple of seconds had passed did the body collapse.

Beast drew an arrow, his mark pulsing brighter as he channeled his aura in the arrow, aiming to kill with each shot. His eyes narrowed, locking onto the heart of the nearest hybrid. With a sharp exhale, he loosed the arrow, watching it fly straight and true. The arrow struck, embedding itself in the creature's chest, and with a flash of energy, the hybrid collapsed, but then it rose again and continued charging while its body started scattering, it was only several seconds later that its body finally succumbed to the strain and dissolved into ash.

The relentless onslaught of monstrous hybrids surged across the battlefield, their bodies twisted and beyond control. Reign and his team fought with every ounce of remaining strength, each of them fully aware that this was the final, brutal push that would either end their ordeal or consume them entirely.

Wolf and Tank fought side by side, forming a solid front against the hybrids. Tank's shield was battered, his arm nearly numb, but he stood his ground, deflecting and absorbing every frenzied blow that came his way. Wolf, shrouded in chaos flames, used his sword to cleave through the attackers, his flames roaring as they sliced through the unholy forms of the creatures. His fiery strikes seemed to keep the monsters at bay, disintegrating their dark energy upon contact. But the hybrids, now devoid of conscious thought, charged forward with unrelenting fervor, driven by pure darkness and instinct.

Further away, Beast was a whirlwind of motion, firing arrows with rapid precision, each one imbued with his mark's fierce energy. His arrows were concentrated and deadly, piercing through even the thickest, mutated hide of the hybrids. Each arrow struck its mark, causing bursts of explosive energy, yet it took more than one arrow to finally bring a hybrid down. They rose again and again, their bodies twitching as they attempted to reach him. The onslaught was unyielding, and Beast could feel his energy depleting, his vision blurring slightly from fatigue.

"Dammit, just how many are there?!" Beast called out, panting as he fired another arrow, striking a hybrid in the forehead. Even as it crumbled, another lurched forward, undeterred by the carcasses of its fallen companions.

Aelrinder, glowing in starlight, used his spear to pierce through the darkness in one elegant sweep after another. His attacks left traces of luminous energy in their wake, weakening the shadows that clung to the hybrids' forms. His spear darted like a comet, each strike reducing the hybrids' defense. Yet, even he was starting to waver. The light of his aura flickered as he took a deep breath, centering himself and preparing for yet another round of attacks.

"Come on, just a bit more, their numbers have thinned out, we can do this!" Reign shouted, still fighting with great ferocity, even though he had used a ton of mana and stamina previously to deal with the rider, in fact, Wolf and Tank had done the same.

He had to wonder whether their choice was correct previously. Maybe it would have been better for him to have used his mark to deal with the rider quicker, to not spend so much energy, and then have to face these abominations in such a state.

He would just use more and more energy, and if a new opponent arrived after this battle, they would be placed in a bad position as even if they used their marks, he and the other two would not have a lot of mana left to battle.

The situation they found themselves in was truly a precarious one, one that none of them had anticipated. They could only hope that they would be able to deal with the abominations quickly and not be attacked any times soon, allowing them to rest up a bit and replenish their mana and stamina.